And no, it is not Uwe Boll the man destined to make video game based movies that bomb the box office. Apparently, Kurt Wimmer, the man behind the cult hit 2003 movie Equilibrium, starring up and coming Cristian Bale, is leading the pack of contenders at the moment.

Rumors of a Metal Gear Solid movie were around since the 90's, even before the whole movie-based-on-game trend really set in. But the rumors were always unsubstantiated. Only in May 2006 did the creator of Metal Gear Solid, the venerable Hideo Kojima, announce that a contract regarding the MGS intellectual property has been concluded with one of the leading movie studios in Hollywood.

Michael de Luca was named producer and now, with the writer's strike behind us, he is very eager to start some talks with possible directors. Even if Kurt Wimmer isn't a sure bet, de Luca wants to meet him "in the next few weeks" and work out some details.

The movie is probably seen as a side show to the more important Metal Gear Solid related release this year, which is the fourth game in the series, called Guns of the Patriots, again rumored to be the last MGS game that Hideo Kojima will work on. Solid Snake will again take center stage in this game as he attempts again to take out the bad guys who plan to use yet another Metal Gear tank to rule the world. The game promises lots of new challenges, more possibilities to hide and sneak, rather than fight, and a whole new mind blowing visual style.

The game is slated to be released latter this year and the movie could follow soon after, to capitalize on the whole MGS mania that's sure to ensue. But there's no deadline for the movie yet and details are not available on whether the movie will feature material from Guns of the Patriots or from the earlier installments of Metal Gear Solid.